The Main Event: Steele vs. Obama

Michael Steele is the current chairman of the National Republican Committee (GOP), the first African-American to hold this office. Steele won the GOP chair in January 2009, shortly after the inauguration of first African-American President Barack Obama. In general, the GOP along with the right-wing extremists like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have been very critical of Pres. Obama's policies since day one, even before he was elected. Now, we find Michael Steele as the GOP's main spokesperson leading the political attacks.

This whole Michael Steele vs. Barack Obama angle is straight up black-on-black crime at the highest level. The GOP couldn't risk having a "white man" at the top (of their party) criticizing the "black President" all the time. So, they throw Steele in there to do their dirty work. Now, after making several political gaffes, including making seemingly critical remarks against Rush Limbaugh, the GOP quietly wants Steele to resign. For example, NC GOP Chair Tom Fetzer has called for Steele to step down stating that his resignation is "the only way to end scrutiny of the national party over lavish spending and ensure Republicans maximize gains during the mid-term elections." Let's see if Steele can somehow redeem himself by putting his ego to the side in favor of uniting the party before he causes any further damage that will be very difficult to repair come election time.

As always, all supporting or opposing points of view are welcome. Would love to hear from Steele, Limbaugh, Hannity, Fetzer or anyone else on this. Please click on the word "COMMENTS" to voice your opinion. Again, you can leave an anonymous comment if you wish. Hit me up on Facebook as well. Thank you!

Al Sharpton - The Real Monkey

After a long hiatus, I am back on the politics blogspot! I have been focusing my efforts for the past few months on my relationships blog which is gaining popularity. Go to http://davejerridoonrelationships.blogspot.com to check it out and leave comments.

Now, let's quickly talk about this latest buzz concerning the New York Post. Earlier this week, a 14-year-old, 200-pound pet chimpanzee in Stamford, Conn. left a woman in critical condition after attacking her—mutilating her face and hands. Police eventually shot and killed the mammoth chimp. The next day, the New York Post published a cartoon depicting two police officers standing over a fallen chimp with the caption: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

This immediately sparked outrage among members in the African-American community; in particular, Rev. Al Sharpton who made the following statement (amended): "The cartoon in today’s New York Post is troubling at best, given the racist attacks throughout history that have made African-Americans synonymous with monkeys. One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual inference to this form of racism when, in the cartoon, the police say after shooting a chimpanzee, “now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill.” ..... The Post should at least clarify what point they were trying to make in this cartoon, and reprimand their cartoonist for making inferences that are offensive and divisive at a time the nation struggles to come together to stabilize the economy if, in fact, this was yet another racially charged cartoon."

Al Sharpton along with Jesse Jackson were pivotal figures during the civil rights struggles in the 1960's and early 1970's. Their collective leadership efforts brought a multitude of people together for the cause of peace and unity. But that was then and this is now. Sharpton still uses the same tactics today with very little fanfare. Seems like the only time he shows up is when he can get his face on camera. If you are an organization involved in an ordeal similar to the New York Post and you are not making any financial contributions to Sharpton's benefit, then he will call you out and organize a march against you. Sharpton does not have the street credibility that President Obama has and will attempt to cash in on his 15 minutes of fame whenever he can get in front of a TV camera.

As always, all points of view are welcome - supporting or opposing. Please click on the word COMMENTS below and join in the conversation. You can now leave anonymous comments if you wish. Thanks!

Retailers singing the "blues" on Black Friday

The nation's retailers offer deep discounts during the holiday season in hopes that shoppers will come out in full force to salvage a dismal year of sales in a struggling economy.

The case against the automotive bailout

The CEOs of the top three U.S. automakers (Ford, General Motors [GM] and Chrysler) recently met in Washington DC before lawmakers to lobby for an industry bailout plan that would cost an estimated $25 billion. Their claim is that a failing automotive industry spells disaster for the U.S. economy, which will eventually have a ripple effect in the global markets. President-elect Obama supports the bailout plan and believes immediate action should be taken to prevent a major meltdown of the U.S. economy......but I have an opposing point of view on this.

OK, let's cut to the chase. First, it was $700 billion to bailout the corporate hot shots that were (and still are) gambling our savings and 401(k) money away in the Wall Street casino. Now, the millionaire, Cessna jet-flying automotive CEOs want a piece of the pie. When Michael Moore predicted back in about 1990 that GM could go "belly-up" within approximately 20 years, his predictions were viewed as blasphemous and "unpatriotic", but as we now see, he was right on the mark. Moore was recently on CNN - Larry King Live blaming the automotive industry crisis on inefficiencies, greed and overall disregard for consumer choice and concern. He said they should not get one red cent of this bailout money and I totally agree.

The automakers had an opportunity in the past to produce a more fuel-efficient line of vehicles, but chose not to pursue this product line in favor of mass producing gas-guzzling pick-up trucks and SUVs. Not surprisingly, soon after this, the cost of fuel at the pump began to creep up and eventually skyrocket recently reaching a national average of over $4.00 a gallon. Makes me wonder if the automakers and big oil companies were in cahoots, but that is merely speculation. When you add on top of this years of fiscal irresponsibility and mismanagement, you end up with the big mess we are currently facing.

Bottom line: whose fault is this? The automakers themselves; not the U.S. labor workers who watched their jobs get shipped overseas in favor of cheaper labor which resulted in a lower quality product and not the consumers who were force-fed certain vehicle product. But, it's the U.S. taxpayers who would foot the bill of this massive bailout plan of the automotive industry. Now does this sound fair? I'll let you be the judge.

Electoral vote count closer than being reported

If you believe the polls being reported by the media, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) has a commanding lead over Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in the race for the White House. One source I have been using to track the electoral vote count is on this website: http://www.electoral-vote.com/. 538 electoral votes available; 270 needed to win. As of October 27, they show the count as Obama 375; McCain 157, almost a landslide. This is why Sen. McCain claims that Sen. Obama is "measuring the drapes" for the White House although Obama has made no such claim of apparent victory and warns voters not to get complacent urging them to get to the polls.

Now, according to my unscientific method and analysis, there are several factors in play that I predict will make this race to 270 much closer than the experts think. Let's briefly look at the history of some key battleground states. In 2000, you had the recount debacle in Florida with the "hanging chads", misreporting of data, and the premature end to the recount by partisan forces resulting in a victory for George Bush by about 325 votes (out of almost 6,000,000 votes cast). In 2004, talk of a slew of voter irregularities plagued the Ohio vote which caused delays as well, although nowhere near as bad as Florida in 2000.

This year, both Florida and Ohio will once again be pivotal to watch. However, I believe this year the state to watch that will determine who wins the White House will be Pennsylvania. Historically, Pennsylvania along with many other states in the Northeast favors Democrats. But, there have been some interesting developments in Pennsylvania in the past few months that could make a difference in the outcome. First, take Sen. Obama's comments about blue-collar individuals in Pennsylvania communities that "get bitter and cling to their guns and religion" in hard times. Second, the recent comments made by Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) that residents in Western PA are "racist and redneck" gave the radical right-wing media fuel to ignite a firestorm of discussion amongst these communities in Pennsylvania that in my mind have been racist, redneck and gun-clinging since day one. In other words, these people wouldn't vote for a black president no matter who is on the ticket - Democrat or Republican, which gives validity to Rep. Murtha's comments and somewhat diffuses the argument made by the right-wing extremists.

Now, let's break down the battleground states and see which areas favor which candidates. In Pennsylvania, McCain should do well in most of the state except for the city of Pittsburgh and in the Philadelphia city and surburbs (Montgomery and Bucks County) where Obama is the overwhelming favorite. In Ohio, Obama should do well in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland area), Franklin County (Columbus area), Lucas County (Toledo) and Montgomery County (Dayton). McCain will do well in the rural areas, but the key area to watch will be Hamilton County (Cincinnati area). In Florida, Obama should carry Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County, and Leon County (Tallahassee) with McCain carrying the areas more populated by retirees.

Current early voting trends indicate record turnout for this election with the majority of new voters registered as Democrats. The experts predict this favors Sen. Obama and he should have no problem winning the election on November 4. However, with the potential of the "Bradley effect" coming into play as well as several other factors such as voter suppression and voter discouragment due to long lines at the polls, this election is far from over and has the potential to be another nail biter that could drag through the night.

PLEASE make your voices heard and make your vote matter this historic election year!

Sean Hannity Whines About Obama "Attacks"

This is for fans (or haters) of FOX News: Why is Sean Hannity such a cry baby accusing Sen. Obama (D-Ill) of attacking him? Well, gee, if someone was talking about me being associated with an "Anti-American" pastor and a known admitted terrorist every night for 7 months, I think I might have something to say about that myself. That guy has some nerve! Somebody help Sean Hannity change his diaper and tell him to stop whining so much! And what is with these cupcake interviews with Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK)? Sean Hannity has his hand so far up her skirt it is ridiculous.

Anyway, all this anti-Obama rhetoric can be summed up best by my good friend Rush Limbaugh: "It's all about race." Enough said! Please go vote!

All points of view are welcome and encouraged on all my blogs. Thanks for your comments!